DISABILITY AND ADULT-EDUCATION - THE CONSUMER VIEW

Developments in recent years have shown an increasing interest in the educational needs and aspirations of disabled adults. There is still, however, limited research information representing the disabled person 's voice. This paper describes the outcomes from a survey of the educa tional experiences of 44 physically disabled adults in the North West of England. The findings indicated that, usually, the earlier someone had acquired a disability, the less likely they were, as adults, to ha ve achieved professional or higher qualifications, and that the level of qualifications reached among women being surveyed was particularly low. Barriers to course attendance reflect both attitudinal and practi cal access issues, with underachievement often the result of oppressio n from a variety of sources. Both positive and negative experiences fr om disabled adults form the basis of recommendations for an equal oppo rtunities approach to adult education for disabled people around the t hemes of integration, self worth, empowerment and consultation.